authentic mulberry

To say that I am heartbroken is an understatement. For years, I have been searching for a Mulberry Piccadilly in Oak Darwin that won’t break the bank. It is my HOLY GRAIL. I even wrote this elaborate longing on my Tumblr more than 4 years ago. Up to this day, this EXACT Piccadilly is on the top of my wishlist. How can you not fall in love with that patina, that kind of brown and the sheen only an aged-leather can give off? I’m still in love.

My 4-year old, and frankly very immature, Tumblr post (what was I thinking back then?)

Fast forward to four years after, the fire is still burning. However, my extremely popular and most-Googled Mulberry entry is a cautionary tale – caveat emptor. But my heart skipped a beat when I saw an ad listing back in March. It was simply listed as a Mulberry leather bag, but it surely looked like a Piccadilly to me.

The purpose of this post is just to look at the difference between a fake and an authentic Mulberry bag. I have grown an affinity with it, especially reading online on Mulberry’s humble beginnings in England.

But yesterday, I bought a secondhand fake Mulberry Alexa from a seller here in the Philippines with the intention of getting that turn lock hardware in the postman’s lock for my Mulberry Bayswater. Upon inspecting the item, I saw the stark difference between the hardware of an authentic and a fake Mulberry bag. It was my first opportunity to closely handle and inspect a fake Mulberry and I thought this post might be of interest to new Mulberry lovers out there.

The photos below are just a guide to differentiate the hardware, without discussing much of what makes them different because the counterfeiters might be reading. =)